Of Stilettos, Suits, and Secrets
by Crepuscolo Femmina
Summary: What would have happened if Cammie's bra hadn't come undone in the middle of her exam? Would something havve started between her and Zach? Why was Cam's mom so worried? And what about that Code Black? R&R! Flames are welcome.
1. Two Can Play at that Game

**Of Stilettos, Suits, and Secrets**

—FROM THE BOOK—

Through the twinkling lights of the party I saw my mother standing next to a far wall. I wanted to smile and wave, but Tiffany St. James didn't know that beautiful woman. And something made me stand up straighter, listen harder, and wish we'd already covered lip-reading in CoveOps, because even though two dozen dancing couples stood between us, both the spy and the girl in me knew my mom was worried about something

"Isn't that right, Tiffany?" Mr. Mosckowitz asked, and it took me half a second to remember that he was talking to me.

"I wonder, Mr. Secretary," Zach was saying to Mr. Mosckowitz, "would you mind if I borrowed Tiffany for a moment?"

"Not at all," Mr. Mosckowitz replied, even though Tiffany… I mean, _I_… might have minded a great deal.

"They're playing our song." Zach put his drink on a passing tray, took my arm smoothly, and pulled me onto the floor.

The bad part about being in deep cover is that you have to like what your legend likes, eat what she eats. Since Tiffany St. James did, in fact, like dancing, there was no room to argue. I _had_ to dance with Zach (after all, a Gallagher Girl always has to be prepared to sacrifice for her country).

In my (very uncomfortable) heels, my eyes reached Zach at about neck level. His hand felt very broad on my back and he smelled, well, different from Doctor Steve. (But in a really good way.)

"So tell me, Tiffany St. James," Zach said. "What does a girl like you do for fun?"

"I didn't tell you my name was Tiffany St. James," I said, hoping to catch him in a mistake. "How did you know?"

"Oh," he said, cocking an eyebrow, sounding exactly like the charming and debonair international art thief he was supposed to be. "I always make it a point to know the names of" —he cinched me tighter— "beautiful women."

And then he dipped me. Yes—actual _dippage_. And he winked. Yes—actual _winkage_.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl" —he spun me out and smoothly back— "relax a little."

From the side of the room, Madame Dabney smiled and made a mark on her clipboard.

Zach's words from earlier echoed in my head again: _If you're not enjoying this, you're in the wrong business_, and I realized that he was right, —not that I would actually admit that to him— that if I was going to be a good spy, if I was going to _survive_, then I was going to have to relax, and embrace the thrills, secrets, and lies of my career.

So that's what I did— I relaxed, I smiled, I danced flawlessly, and, for a second time, I could feel myself really becoming Tiffany St. James. "Now that's dancing," Zach smirked as he twirled me around again, still staring straight into my eyes.

"You better believe it is," I said, flirting just a little bit as I tried to gracefully remove myself from his arms, with little success. "Thank you very much for the dance Mr.…?" I left the words hanging there for a moment, and when Zach didn't answer, I pressed, "What did you say your name was?"

He simply smiled secretively, and rearranged our hands as a waltz started to play. "I'll tell you my name, if you will dance the waltz with me."

Again, I didn't really have a choice, as Zach already had me pressed against his body, and we were twirling through the dancing couples. So I just played along, smiling coyly, and said, "I'll hold you to that."

Zach spun me under his arm then pulled me in close, leaned down and whispered, "You should probably check in with the undersecretary… make sure he doesn't say anything foolish." He dipped me again before spinning me out and away, where he let go of my hand for the first time since he had asked me to dance.

In the lesser part of my mind, I have to admit I was relieved that the dancing part of my evening was over, but the rest of my mind was on high alert. What had Zach meant _"You should probably check in with the undersecretary… make sure he doesn't say anything foolish"_??? He had seemed to be enjoying himself more than I was… oh, my, God, I was enjoying myself!! Cam, focus. Get back in character.

Check surroundings. Mr. Mosckowitz, check. Mr. Mosckowitz about to blow our covers… check!! He was talking to Mr. Solomon, I couldn't hear his exact words, but I could tell that he was talking about -or about to talk about- cracking high-security firearm codes because he was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Mr. Secretary," I said as smoothly as I could, sweeping two drinks from a passing waiter and handing one to Mr. Mosckowitz and keeping the other for myself- just for appearances, of course. Mr. Solomon had his own drink. "I hope I am not interrupting anything." I looked quizzically at Mr. Solomon.

"Not at all," he said, smiling. "I presume that you are Ms. St. James?"

"Yes, that would be correct," I smiled. "And you would be...?"

"Michael Gilbert, attorney general. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Mr. Solomon said.

"And you," I replied out of courtesy before turning to Mr. Mosckowitz. "Mr. Secretary, I believe that your boss is over by the drinks table. Now would be an excellent time to convince him you are ready for a promotion."

I fixed him with a meaningful stare until he got my message and said, with his fake British accent, "Ah, good call Ms. St. James. I really cannot miss this opportunity, so we will have to talk another time, Mr. Gilbert." With that he half skipped half walked across the room.

I used this time to quickly re-examine my surroundings before Mr. Solomon started talking to me. "So Ms. St. James, how have you found the party?"

I answered casually, my eyes still surveying the room. Where was Zach? "Oh, it has been marvelous, albeit rather uneventful."

Mr. Solomon's eyes twinkled as he asked, "Are you expecting some kind of... event?"

"Why, no. Should I be?" Then I spotted him, near the windows behind my CoveOps teacher dancing with Tina Walters, but he wasn't looking at her. He was, like me, scanning the room, until Tina grabbed his attention probably with some trivial and false piece of gossip.

All this I saw out of the corner of my eye, before focusing my attention back on Mr. Solomon as he said, "You should always expect _some_ form of entertainment at this sort of gathering. There is bound to be some excitement, however petty." He smiled a little –and OH MY GOD he looked hot– and leaned back against the wall.

I had a feeling he wasn't going to move anytime soon, so I asked, "How have _you_ found the party, Mr. Gilbert?"

Mr. Solomon pushed away from the wall and, looking me straight in the eye, he said, "I believe it is a little too toasty for my liking but otherwise it has been quite enjoyable," and he walked away.

I stood there for a brief second – _a little too toasty_. Hmm. What did Solomon mean? What was going to happen? What was going on? And WHERE was Zach? He wasn't with Tina any more... then I saw a dark, male figure slipping out the double doors at the front of the hall, and no one else noticed him. (Which is a very bad thing. Hello! This is a room full of seasoned agents and spies in training!)

Well, I thought, you're not the only one who can pull off a vanishing act, Zach. Two can play at that game.

And I disappeared through the doors, determined to find Zach before something went wrong.

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first Fanfiction (I've been thinking about it for a while, and just got around to writing it)! Let me know if you love it or hate it! Let me know if you think I should continue, k?**

**And if you have any suggestions or requests for anything, I'll take them. **

**Now click that little review button down there and tell me what you think!**


	2. AN SORRY!

**A/N SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, and I am soooooooo sorry I haven't updated!! I have a lot going on with school, sports, etc., so I haven't been writing much. Plus I've been working on Masquerade.**

**If you have any ideas/requests for this story tell me, plz. I'm having writer's block right now... ugh. I can give you guys a sneak peek. Here are a few of my favorite lines from the new chapter so far (look at my profile for the real sneak peek): **

Of course, me being... well, me, the chameleon, I knew exactly where he would end up, and I knew how to beat him there.

He was mumbling to himself which could mean one of two things: A) He's gone insane or B) comms. **(I just liked choice 'A')**

If I hadn't known any better, I might have believed him, but I had known better from the day I was born.

I had Zach in a place where he clearly didn't want to be, and that was exactly what I needed.

**A/N One great way to help me would be to just send me a quote like those that I can work around. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Again, I'm really really really sorry!**


	3. Ready for a Mission?

**A/N Sorry it took so long to get another chapter up. Sorry it's so short too. Writer's block, school, play, soccer, etc. Yes, I know I loose Cammie's character a little bit more in this chapter, but I don't have anything to work off of, so it's a bit harder to keep her perfect. Also, I wanted to bring in some more characters here. Sorry to those of you who wanted just Cam and Zach.**

_**Disclaimer: you all know what I am going to say. Blah blah blah...**_

The hall was quiet and dark compared the bright, lively dance that I silently closed the doors on. I let my eyes adjust before quickly tiptoeing after the agent.

Mr. Solomon had told us to trust our instincts and go with our gut feeling; well right now I had a gut feeling that my agent friend was definitely Zachary Goode. Seriously, who else would it be? Okay, I knew the answer to that: it COULD be anyone. But it wasn't. It was Zach.

And he was pausing next to the tapestry of the Gallagher family tree, alone in the dimly lit hallway (well, except for me but... well, I'm the chameleon. He couldn't know I was there). Oh. My. God. How did he know about that passageway?! I was the only one!! I screamed this mentally as Zach slipped discretely behind the heavy tapestry and into the secret passage beyond.

Of course, me being... well, me, the chameleon, I knew exactly where he would end up, and I knew how to beat him there. I raced silently down the hall, climbed up into the air vents, and crawled.

Approximately one minute and seven seconds later, I slipped out of the air duct right outside the library and leaned casually against the wall, waiting for Zach. If he didn't get lost, it should have taken him about forty two seconds longer then myself –assuming he's moving at the same rate of speed, and... I won't get into that right now....

Three, two o–thud, thud, thud. Right on time, I smiled to myself. I waited until Zach emerged from the darkness –he still hadn't noticed me. He was mumbling to himself which could mean one of two things: A) He's gone insane or B) comms. Considering we're, well, SPIES, I'm going with comms. But whom could he be talking to?

He stopped walking and –dang it– there was no way I could make out his words. So I stepped out of the shadows, saying "Soo, we meat again. Was the party too much for you?"

Zach seemed almost completely unfazed by my sudden appearance –_almost_– but then, he was a good spy. "I just needed a brief rain check, so to speak," he said smoothly. If I hadn't known any better, I might have believed him, but I had known better from the day I was born.

"What a coincidence," I smiled, "I needed a little breather as well." Staring him down, I could tell that I had Zach in a place where he clearly didn't want to be, and that was exactly what I needed. "So where were you headed?"

"I was just... walking..." he said nonchalantly. Then he smirked "What about _you_, Gallagher Girl? Sneaking out to see Jimmy again? You know he has a girlfriend." He crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and cocked an eyebrow.

I tensed. Why was bringing Josh into this? Did he _really_ think that I was sneaking out to see him again? Or to go the sure-to-be-awkward Spring Fling with him and DeeDee? Did he seriously _not_ realize that I was sneaking out to see _him_ (NOT like that!!!!)? Or was he just trying to get answers from me? Well, I wasn't going to give him any. "So?" I asked, going along with his assumption. "We can still be friends." Zach scratched his ear, turning off the comms unit. Oops. Hopefully people wouldn't think that I really WAS sneaking out...­. His mouth tightened and he looked like he was about to say something scathing, but I cut him off. "Does that bother you, Blackthorn Boy?" I said, adopting his signature I-know-something-you-don't smirk.

He kept his face and voice well in control as he said, "Not at all. Why should it?" Then he smirked and rolled his eyes. "Because you are wasting your time with a boy who can never _really_ know you? Because he's stupid enough to believe that you were homeschooled with a cat named Suzy? Come _on_, Gallagher Girl. Get over him." And with that he pushed past me and started to walk away.

Then it hit me: it DID bother Zach. For whatever reason, the idea of Josh and me together bothered him. I would have to talk to Macey about this.

I watched Zach head back down towards the Grand Hall, fiddling with his comms unit as he went. Then he paused a moment, and ducked into an open doorway just as a few people came out of the party/test.

It was Bex and Liz. I ran up to them, with a confused expression on my face. "Where did you go?!" They said in unison. I was about to answer when Bex added, "you weren't sneaking out to see Josh, were you?" under her breath. I froze.

"How did you know about that, Bex?"

"Cam, you were on comms," she said seriously. CRAP. "But were you?" she asked again.

My eyes flickered towards the door that Zach had slipped through. I nodded towards it silently and Bex and Liz both nodded. We crept up to the doorway, slipped inside, and closed the door. This was originally an extension of the kitchen, but was used as storage, with the door to the kitchen removed. The only ways out of the room were through the door, and a vent into the kitchen bathroom... which was hanging slightly open.

I turned back to Bex and Liz and told them about following Zach, my suspicions, and our conversation, leaving out my little realization about him, and added, "And he just crawled into the kitchen through the air vent. Bex and Liz blinked, looked at eachther, then back at me.

At last, Liz said, "So you weren't sneaking out to see Josh?"

I sighed. Did they NOT just hear my entire story? "No, Liz, I was not." I looked at the pile of boxes underneath the vent, smiled and looked back at my two best friends. "Are you two ready for a mission?"

**A/N Ooo, pretty lame ending. Sorry it's so short. I think I have ADD because I always get distracted and bored writing these chapters –oh look an ugly kangaroo! Sorry. Anyways, Coming up:**

**Zach's mission (still CPOV tho)**

**Why Cam's mom was worried**

**Zammie**

**CODE BLACK!!!!!**

**If you have any **_**ideas/requests**_** for this story**

**Or if you loved it or hated it**

**Hell, just click the button**

**REVIEW**

**(please)**


	4. Please Don't Shoot

short and to the point: **STORY DISCONTINUED.**

I hate writing author's notes, especially to tell you all that I am done writing this story....

And from here, it's really just me blabbering, so you really don't have to read the rest, but i always end up reading the ANs all the way through so....

* * *

Sorry all, due to changing interests and busy schedules, I am discontinuing both of my GG stories. Desloée, mes amis, mais c'est le vie. I'm sorry to all of you who have so patiently waited for my few-and-far-between updates, and thank you for your reviews! For those of you who waited less patiently, I am also sorry! And thank you for YOUR reviews. I love when my inbox fills up with reviews, flames or compliments!

Hoping you can forgive me,

CF

Crepuscolo Femmina

:D (: :D (: :D


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